Car-coupling



(No Model.)-

B. F. WHITNEY.

OAR COUPLING.

Patented Apr.3, 1883.

N. PETERS. Plxolo-Lilhogmphun wmhin mmuc.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BENJAMIN F. YVHITNEY, OF ELDON, IO\VA.

CAR-=COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 275,306, dated April 3, 1883.

Application filed February 1, 1883. (No model.)

I all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN F. WHITNEY, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Eldon, in the county of \Vapello and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Oar-Couplers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of theinvention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertainsto make and use the same, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, and to letters or figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to automatic car-couplers adapted for using the ordinary couplinglink,its object being to provide a coupler which will hold the link properly balanced for engagement with a similar coupler, to enable the coupling to be quickly performed with but a slight movement of the link after it touches the latch which is to engage it,and to so form and support the coupling-latch that while it will move promptly and freely to engage the link it is not liable to be jolted out of engagement therewith.

The invention consists in the combination, with a draw-head having a novel arrangement of guides, braces, and shoulders, of a peculiarlyconstructed automatically acting couplinglatch,as will be hereinafter described, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a side elevation of a car-coupler constructed according to my invention. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section on the line a: 00, Fig. 2. Fig. 4. is a horizontal section on the line yy, Fig. 1. Fig.5 is an end View of a railway-car having my improved coupler applied thereto and provided with means for operating the same for uncoupling from the side of the car.

The letter A designates the draw-head, pro-' vided at the top with a front abutment, B, a rear abutment, G, and bracing-walls D D, rising from the top plate of the draw-head on opposite sides of the latch-slot, and having their ends in contact with said abutments, respectively. The latch-slot in the draw-head extends between the points 8 s, Fig. 3.

The letter E indicates the tumbling coupling-latch, having its lower edge arranged to rest in the recess 9 in the bottom plate of the draw-head, and provided with a shoulder, e, to

engage the coupli|ig-link,wl1ile its front edge, at its lower portion, extends forward to form a shoulder,f, which takes under the top plate of the draw-head forward of the latch-slotand prevents the latch from being jolted upward when in use. The latch is also provided with a rearwardly projecting shoulder, e, which is arranged to rest upon the link and hold it in proper position for coupling.

Above the shoulderfa curved recess, at g, is formed in the forward edge of the latch, to embrace the rounded front wall of the latchslot, which forms a hearing or draft point. Above this curved recess g is aforwardly-projecting nose-piece, h,.above which the edge of the latch is curved well to the rear, away from the rounded rear surface of that portion of the front abutment, B, which is between the bracing-walls. The nose-pieceh serves as the pivot upon which the latch is turned upward, as shown in dotted lines, to disengage the coupling-link L.

0n the inner surface of the bracingwalls D D are formed curved guide-grooves i. (Shown partly in full lines and partly in dotted lines in Fig. 3.) From opposite sides of the latch,near itsfrontedge,projectguide pinsk,whichextend into these guide-slots, which serve to guide the latch in its rising and falling movements for coupling and uncoupling, and prevent it at such times from being jolted or accidentally thrown out ot'its slot. There is no draft-strain whatever upon these pins.

At the entrance of either of the slots is a pivoted stop, it, arranged to close the entrance thereof to prevent the escape of the pins.

The upper edge of the latch extends above the bracing-walls DD, this upward-projecting portion forming a handle by which the latch may be turned upward on its pivot for uncoupling.

The lateh'may be operated either directly by hand or by means which will obviate the necessity of entering between cars for the purpose, such means being illustrated in Fig. 5.

M designates the end of the car, and m its end sill. To this sill are secured bearings a 'n, in which is supported a rod, 0, having at its ends cranks 0 0,which project beyond the sides of the car, and it's middle portion is a projecting arm connected by a rod or chain, q, with the top of the latch. This arm normally rests in position to leave the chain slack, the crank 0 0 at the same time hanging downward. It is obvious that by turning either one of these cranks outward and upward the arm will be raised and draw up the latch out of engagement with the coupling-link.

By referring to FigAcit will be seen that the forward portion of the inner cavity-a chamber of the draw-head-is considerably wider than the rear portion, which is contracted from a point immediately to the rear of the point at which the shoulder e of the latch stands, this contracted portion E serving to guide an entering link so as to insure its engagement behind the shoulder 6, while the wider forward portion permits the link to swing laterally to accommodate the lateral vibration of cars.

Having now fully described my invention, what I claim is 1. The combinatiomwith the draw-head having a suitable slotformed in its top plate, of the latch E, arranged in said slot, and provided with the shoulder e, for engaging the couplinglink, the shoulderf, adapted to extend under the top plate in front of the slot, and the nosepiece h, projecting over the top plate in said slot, and formingthe pivot upon which the latch may be swung upward, substantially as described.

2. The combination,with the draw-head having the slot in its top plate and recess in its bottom plate, of the latch E, provided with shoulder e, and having its lower edge adapted to enter said recess in the bottom plate, and having also the forward-projecting shoulder f, arranged to take under the top plate in front of the slot, and the nose-piece h, projecting over the top plate, substantially as described, and for the purpose set forth.

3. The combination, with the slotted drawhead, of the abutments B U, the bracing-walls D D,having the guide-grooves formed in their inner surfaces, and the latch E, having the projecting pinsarranged to play in said grooves, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

BENJAMIN I WHITNEY.

Witnesses:

E. P. HOWARD, L. G. TURNER. 

